France To Wiretap Exchanges On Social Media, Beef Up Domestic Surveillance

The French government is likely to intensify the search of cyber-criminals with the launch of a massive surveillance program to track exchanges that pass through social media, covering audio and video communications.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls yesterday announced 54 measures his government was considering since the attacks last week on Charlie Hebdo magazine office. Any offensive exchanges circulating via the Internet will soon be wiretapped and will not be able to escape the vigilance of the intelligence services.

A local publication, LesEchos said quoting the spokesman of the government, Stéphane Le Foll that the measures will soon be examined by the French cabinet.

France’s domestic intelligence services will recruit over 1000 people by 2017 bringing the total staff to about 14,000 people, the deputy of Finistère said. Laying tags under cars as well as microphones and cameras in private places will be among the surveillance methods.

The sweeping surveillance measures and the powers to the intelligence agencies to pry on the lives of citizens, have already drawn criticism from some quarters.